Contents

foreword acknowledgmenTs inTroducTion 1: geTTing sTarTed

vii xi xiii 1

5: Training The TeamsTer

Training the Novice Teamster Getting Comfortable with the Basics

63
63 64

An Overview of the Horse-Powered Market Garden 1 A Brief History of the Draft Horse 3 Is Horse Farming for You? 5 The Value of a Good Mentor 6 Choosing the Right Horse 9 How Many Horses? 12 Finding Equipment 15 Utility of the Forecart 17

6: Training horses for The farm

Starting the Youngster Developing a Good Work Ethic The Key to a Successful Training Session

72
72 73 75

7: working wiTh horses on The farm

The Rise of the Market Garden Making the Transition to Horses Cedar Mountain Farm: A Horse-Powered CSA Pacing Your Horses Spacing Your Crops Managing Headlands Managing Water on the Farm Whole Farm Management

82
82 83

2: The drafT horse Breeds

The Five Principal Breeds of Heavy Horses Draft Ponies The Fjord Horse The Haflinger On the Biological Superiority of Mules The Miniature Horse

19
19 21 22 23 25 27

86 98 98 101 103 107

3: care of The workhorse

Housing Feeding the Workhorse Watering the Workhorse Grazing Good Fences Worming, Teeth, Fly Control, and Veterinary Needs Hoof Care: No Hoof, No Horse

29
30 33 37 37 38 39 43

8: farm ferTiliTy
Making Compost Fertility Sources Soil Testing Spreading Manure Spreading Minerals

109
109 111 111 112 119

9: hands To The Plow

Primary Tillage at Cedar Mountain Farm The Moldboard Plow The Walking Plow The Sulky Plow Two-Way Riding Plow Single-Horse Plow Chisel Plow Attachments The Pros and Cons of Plowing

127
128 131 133 137 138 140 140 141 142

4: working wiTh your horse

Natural Horsemanship Driving Basics The Commands Harnessing and Hitching The Tack Room Keeping Your Horse Clean Your Hitching Post The 20-Second Review and Other Safety Tips

48
48 49 50 53 58 58 58 60

vi

The New Horse-Powered Farm

10: fitting tHe Soil

Disc Harrows Drag Harrows: Secondary Tillage Cultipacker Combination Tools

149
149 152 161 161

14: Cultivation SyStemS for Single HorSeS and teamS

Introduction to the Riding Cultivator Developing Your Cultivation Strategy Single-Horse Walk-Behind Cultivator

218
226 238 241

11: Seeding

Seeding Produce Interplanting Transplanted Crops Seeding Cover Crops Crop Rotations

162
162 164 165 167 171

15: HarveSting witH HorSeS

Infrastructure for Harvesting The Potato Digger The Wagon: Your Horse-Powered Pickup Truck

253
253 254 255

12: additional infraStruCture for tHe HorSe-Powered farm

Using Plastic Mulch BioTelo: An Alternative to Plastic The Univecus: A Multi-Tool Carrier Systems for Draft Horses The New Pioneer Homesteader

16: Hay making and PaSture management

A Question of Scale A Procession of Implements Mowing Tedding Raking Bringing in the Hay Mulch Bales The Scythe: For the Strong of Arm Pasture Management Clipping Pasture

262
262 263 263 265 266 266 268 269 271 271

184
185 185 191 192

13: HorSe-Powered vegetaBle ProduCtion

Field 1: Cucurbits Field 2: Potatoes Field 3: Onions Field 4: Lettuce, Herbs, Spinach, Green Beans Field 5: Cover Crop/Bare Fallow Field 6: Sweet Corn Field 7: Nightshades Field 8: Rutabagas, Turnips, Radishes, Carrots, and Beets Field 9: Garlic, Peas, Fall Greens Field 10: Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Cabbage Field 11: Kale, Parsley, Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Celeriac, Leeks Field 12: Cover Crop Fallow/Rye, Buckwheat, Oats, and Field Peas Field 13: Fall Brassicas High Tunnels Small Grains

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195 198 203

17: additional uSeS of HorSeS on tHe farm

204 205 206 207 208 208 210 210 211 211 212 212

The Horse-Powered Woodlot The Value of Horses on a Small Dairy Farm Treadmills Farm to School Agritourism

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277 286 288 290 295

18: tHe eConomiCS of tHe Small HorSe-Powered farm 297

We Know That We Have Earned It 314

ConCluSion: a Call to ConSCiouSneSS aPPendix a: reSourCeS aPPendix B: aCCeSS to toolS aPPendix C: gloSSary noteS index

319 323 325 327 332 335